Oakland's mayor claims crime drops, but omits robbery and home-invasion increase
Is crime down? Analyzing Oakland crime statistics
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao says crime in her city is down, especially in business districts where police have walked their beats and focused efforts on car burglaries. The numbers come directly from the police department. We take a closer look at the numbers.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rejected suggestions Tuesday that crime is on the rise in her city.
"Actually the numbers are down, so I'm going to push back on that," Thao said on KTVU's Mornings on 2. "We're seeing that crimes and homicides are all trending down, everything."
Citing Oakland police stats, Thao said crime in many categories over the past couple of months is down compared to the same time in previous years, especially in business districts with concentrated police foot patrols and crime suppression teams.
"The robberies, the commercial burglaries, you know, the bipping, all that has gone down, it's trending down," said Thao, using a term commonly used to refer to auto burglaries.
But it's also notable what the mayor didn't report. According to Oakland police figures, robberies are up 40% year to date compared to the same time frame last year, with home invasions going from 8 to 18 so far this year - a 125% increase.
And stats aren't of any comfort to crime victims. At Temescal Alley, a trendy North Oakland shopping spot where burglars recently broke into five businesses, merchants are frustrated, with some complaining Oakland police didn't show up for hours.
And when officers did come - as they have in previous break-ins there - all they could do was document what happened, after the fact.
"We call the police so many times but the only thing they do is write notes, make a report, but inothing's happening. Nothing's being done about it," said Danny Paredes, property manager for Temescal Alley.
Many merchants appreciate foot patrols, but those officers aren't there around the clock - and their visible presence could arguably push would-be criminals to target other areas.
"We most definitely don't want to discount experiences of victims, you know, if you have been victimized, this is serious," said Magnus Lofstrom, policy director of criminal justice at the Public Policy Institute of California.
"I think the perception might take a little while to adjust that these decreases that have been reported are sustainable," Lofstrom said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan